


Curses Need Breakers

by amordantia



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: BAMF Original Percival Graves, BAMF Tina Goldstein, Baker Jacob Kowalski, Books, Credence Barebone Learning Magic, Curses, Don't copy to another site, F/M, M/M, MACUSA | Magical Congress of the United States of America, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Movie 2: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Protective Newt Scamander, Protective Queenie Goldstein, Scars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 23:48:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17293637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amordantia/pseuds/amordantia
Summary: Daniel Walsh is an accomplished Auror working for the Ministry of Magic, specializing in dark curses. When he's called to the Magical Congress of the United States of America in New York, he meets new friends and new people.However, Grindelwald is still at large and MACUSA isn't the only one who wants his head.Daniel desperately hopes he can aid in tracking down and defeating this nefarious villian while protecting and keeping what he's gained in America.





	Curses Need Breakers

**Author's Note:**

> First and foremost, hello! And welcome to..eh..my work??
> 
> Okay, I know OCs aren't everybody's thing, and I should warn the reader that this story heavily leans on and involves OCs as both background characters and the main character.
> 
> I implore you, then, if you're uninterested in such a tale, to seek out the works of other authors within the fandom (my recommendations are the ever lovely Weconqueratdawn, almostannette, Lynds, and many others).
> 
> If you, however, are interested in my rather odd if nothing else tale, read on and enjoy! I do hope at least one reader may have a pleasant take away (or a good laugh!) from my endeavors.
> 
> Ta.

The Magical Congress of the United States of America was, upon Daniel Walsh's understanding and entrance to New York, held tighter in security than ever. He had already had his wand checked twice, even before he was able to step foot on the docks to board the ship en route to the country. Daniel breathed a sigh through his nose, keeping his belongings close to his side as he traversed the busy streets of New York. He noted the couples strolling nearby, the children gathered near a bakery shop's window, and the muffled murmur of many voices.

The scene sent a longing pang for London and the family he left there. Only allowing the emotion to spread for a moment or two, Daniel sniffed and held his head higher as he walked the steps to the American wizards' Magical Congress building.

 

Daniel entered the building with a hesitation he quickly stifled.

_No reason for nervousness, it's just protocol,_  he reminded himself.

Taking a deep breath, he walked further inside. Relief flooded his veins as he noted how very few witches and wizards were actually paying him any mind. He was at once impressed and overwhelmed by the sheer size and stature of the Magical Congress' building. The stairways leading up to the second floor gleamed golden in the morning light with the tile beneath his feet shimmering in greens and blues.

He noted the danger level on the infamous Magical Congress clock marked severe, a sign which he noted was worrisome at best.

Daniel was just making his way to the elevator when a call stopped him short.

"Walsh!" A voice called. "Mr. Walsh!"

He turned towards the source of the voice, finding a woman with short hair cut neatly into a bob. Her brown eyes tracked him down and he had an inkling that, despite her smaller stature, she was a formidable witch.

Daniel nodded curtly, "That would be me. And you are?"

The woman stopped in front of him, awkwardly offering her hand to shake. "Goldstein, sir, Tina Goldstein."

He took her hand, shaking it before the flood of noise from the surrounding area returned swiftly.

_London was noisy, too,_ he mused.

"If you'll excuse me a moment, Miss Goldstein, I do need to get a permit for my wand," Daniel mentioned, hoping to acquire both the permit and an escape from the goings on around them. Perhaps he wasn't as used to the busy Aurors as he thought.

Ever since the accident----

He shook his train of thought. It would do no good to dwell on such events, so instead he awaited Tina's reply.

She nodded to his relief, though chagrin overtook him upon her comment, "Of course, sir, I'll just escort you."

Daniel resisted the urge to sigh or run a hand through his swept aside hair in agitation.

His rented flat with a no doubt comfy bed sounded more and more appealing by the second. He shoved the prospect down, however. He had agreed to this assignment and for the improvement of the wizarding world in not just London and New York, but every nation, was at stake.

He boarded the elevator with Tina, the latter requesting the lower floor for the wand permit office. They stood in amicable silence with a house elf operating the elevator until Tina piped up.

"So, Mr. Walsh, did you have a fine trip?"

Daniel nodded, conceding that of all topics Tina could have picked, this was among the safest. "Quite. Though the inspection of both my wand and belongings was quite thorough. Not that I blame either London or America's systems in that regard," he replied, impressed.

At Tina's slight deflation, Daniel wanted to kick himself as he had alluded to the troubles of national security and Gellert Grindelwald.

He cleared his throat, starting again, "I must say, Miss Goldstein, I was unprepared for the amount of pigeons in the area."

This brought a quiet chuckle from Tina, at which Daniel shot a smile, inwardly hoping it came off as friendly and sincere.

"Please, just Tina is fine," she said a moment later.

"Then Daniel's fine for me, Tina," came his swift reply.

Before either could say anything else, the elevator dinged and the house elf gruffly sent them off, announcing the floor to be the wand permit office.

Both stepped off and entered the rather populated office. A woman saddled up to Daniel, requesting his wand.

He begrudgingly handed it over, reminding himself that it was merely protocol.

"Ah, well, no wonder you're so forlorn about giving up your wand! Unicorn tail hair, never wants to separated. And dogwood wood, hm? A very curious pairing, surely, but sensible as we've heard much about you here, Mr. Walsh!" She quipped.

Daniel was taken aback by her comments, gathering the thought to nod politely even at her continued ranting.

"10 3/4? Goodness, Mr. Ollivander certainly made a good match with this one!" She chortled as she readied the paperwork for his permit.

His grin was genuine at the mentioning of Ollivander, replying, "On the contrary, the wand chooses the wizard."

The woman smiled, requesting he sign on an allotted slot before handing him a proper permit, "Of course, Mr. Walsh. Though it would be curious to see the more quirky nature of your wand's wood to show in yourself. Have a nice day, Mr. Walsh."

Daniel gave her a polite smile before pocketing his permit and wand, departing with Tina. As they boarded the elevator once more, Daniel questioned his company aloud, "Do all wand permit officers need to know so much about wandology?"

Tina shook her head, "Usually just the basics, but Mrs. Finley has always been enthusiastic about the subject."

"Well, it _is_ a fascinating subject, isn't it?" Daniel offered, missing the incredulous look Tina gave him as the elevator dinged and they stepped out on the first floor of the building. 

As they walked, Tina leading, Daniel asked, "So I'm sure you know why I'm here?"

Tina glanced at him, but refrained from answering as they continued to walk until reaching a lavish door and secretary's desk.

The secretary in question glanced up and took in both, her eyes widening by a fraction before she gained composure and spoke, "Madame Picquery will be with you momentarily."

* * *

 

They took a seat near the door, Tina turning slightly towards Daniel. "Look, I.." she began, but lost her words and tried again, "I'm with the Director of Magical Security's Auror team. I'm sure the Minister gave you our files," she glanced down at her hands now, seeming at war with herself as she continued, "Admittedly, our Director, Mr. Graves, hasn't quite filled us in on the details, but briefed us on receiving a British Auror from the Ministry this week."

She took a breath before meeting his eyes, "What I'm saying is, we knew you were coming, but we're just as much in the dark as you are. There have been.. rumors and speculation, but there's been a lot of that the past month or so."

Daniel arched a brow, "Rumors?"

He mulled over the rest of her words before concluding aloud, "Tina, I have an idea why I'm here, but if we're all in the dark about it, I'm glad that I've at least made one friend in the city before we all know what's going on."

They shared a smile before the receptionist cleared her throat and informed them, "Madame Picquery will see you now."

They entered through the lavish doors into Madame Picquery's office. The woman of the hour sat primly in what appeared as both a regal and comfortable deep red velvet chair. The furniture adorning the rest of the room was similarly velventeen.

She gestured for Daniel and Tina to take a seat. A man stood off to her left, dressed in a suit that was perhaps better in taste than Daniel's own. Of course, it took a while to buy his own suit and longer still to decide getting it, but he found his deep blue, slim cut three piece complimented his lean figure nicely. The man, however, really had excellent taste as the charcoal suit he wore accentuated his angles and form expertly. Not one strand of salt-and-pepper hair was out-of-place on his head and his deep rich eyes tracked Daniel in a manner more unsettling than Tina's.

"Mr. Walsh," Madame Picquery spoke, "this is the Director of Magical Security, Mr. Percival Graves. Mr. Graves, this is the man I've told you about, Mr. Daniel Walsh, notable Auror and curse-breaker of the British Ministry of Magic."

Daniel had a sneaking suspicion Mr. Graves knew that information already, but didn't dare speak out of turn against Madame Picquery.

Mr. Graves seemed to take in this information, if his carefully trained eyes on Daniel and slight nod were any indication.

"The Minister of Magic and I have both agreed, that in these trying times, Mr. Walsh may very well aid in the capture of Gellert Grindelwald and any more curse finding and breaking services we may need. It is of MACUSA's understanding that the sooner we ally with other wizarding forces across the world, the sooner we can catch Gellert Grindelwald," Madame Picquery continued.

"Mr. Walsh, within your files you should have received a briefing on both your mission and time for a meeting with the Magical Security team. You will be working closely from here on with Miss Goldstein and Mr. Graves, along the other Aurors he oversees. I trust you found information on your accommodations during your stay here?"

Daniel nodded, his bed the one thing he was looking forward to on this trip. Well, that and catching the most wanted wizard in all known history.

"Inform myself or Mr. Graves of any updates of findings and requests or inquiries you have about accommodations or the mission. Understood?"

Daniel nodded, "Understood, Madame President."

The previous cold, tough exterior that presented itself from the moment Daniel entered seemed to recede, if only slightly, from Madame Picquery's demeanor and Daniel swore he saw just the slightest quirk of her lips before she spoke again.

"Send my best to Edgar when you write to him, will you?" Madame Picquery asked, though her question sounded more like a demand.

"Yes, Madame President," Daniel answered, this time with the quirk on his lips.

"Well, then, feel free to go about the rest of your day, Mr. Walsh. Keep us posted on any new developments. And I expect your earlier research be mailed by pigeon, on my desk, before tomorrow," Madame Picquery reminded him.

Daniel replied, "Of course, Madame President. Though I fear a pigeon will not be able to carry such a weight."

He winced at his slip up. Of course a ruddy pigeon would be able to carry his research; weight and shrinking charms existed for a reason.

Blessedly, Madame Picquery didn't point this out, instead noting her eagle would arrive later to pick up the research.

With that, she dismissed them. Daniel followed Tina out of the President's office, hoping to never make another idiotic blunder such as that in front of the President of America's Magical Congress ever again.

**-**

As they approached the lobby, Tina let out a laugh. Daniel decidedly knew what such a laugh was for and scowled at her, however empty the feeling of disdain was.

This seemed to chasten her, but only momentarily as she teasingly commented, "You sure know how to make a first impression, don't you?"

Daniel finally cracked a rueful smile at that. If nothing else, he could make an impact on other people at their first meeting, that's for sure.

He shrugged in reply, "Just don't let me do anything that stupid again."

They walked further into the lobby, a comfortable silence settling between them before Daniel piped up again.

"Actually, I was more troubled by that Director of yours. Keeps a watchful eye, does he?"

Tina's demeanor became withdrawn, then, and Daniel frowned in turn.

Upon her explanation, the pieces clicked together and he, again, felt rather silly for not thinking his words through.

"Well," Tina began, "I'm sure you heard what happened a month ago now. Grindelwald impersonated Mr. Graves and.. and none of us noticed."

Daniel felt the guilt rolling off her in waves and felt a stone lodge in his throat for the first friend he gained in New York.

"Well, he's a lot more wary, now, of strangers and people in general. Can't say that I blame him, but he's a good man. He's a brilliant Auror and an amazing Director, I can assure you of that," Tina continued in Mr. Graves' defense.

Daniel said nothing, simply listening to her speak of the Director.

"I know he seems rough and cold now, untouchable in all the wrong ways and really just polarized when we're all fighting against the same thing, but give it time. I mean, with how much tighter we've made security over here, I can't imagine it'll take forever for him to warm up to you."

Daniel shrugged at that, fully aware of how hard trusting even the best witches and wizards could be.

She bumped his shoulder playfully, both being at relatively the same height. Daniel estimated he was only an inch or so taller than her.

"Let's just hope Mr. Graves doesn't put any Veritaserum in your tea," she quipped.

"Well, he'd only get increasingly embarrassing anecdotes about my childhood in that regard," Daniel responded, resulting in a chuckle from Tina.

"Hey, you're not busy tonight, are you?" Tina asked.

Daniel nearly sputtered from this turn of conversation, hoping fervently that Tina didn't see him like  _that_.

Despite his internal battle, he merely nodded assent.

Tina's features lit up, "Great! Would you like to come over for dinner? I mean.. I thought maybe, since it's unlikely you know anyone else, you'd like to have dinner with some friends? My sister will be there, along with two of our friends."

Daniel felt a smile spread over his lips, his dark green eyes alight with hope.

"I think that would be lovely, Miss Goldstein. Will you send an owl?"

Tina cast him a confused look before he realized his question and corrected himself, "Ah, I mean a pigeon."

Tina grinned and nodded. "You best be off, then. I'll see you tonight, Daniel," she bid him goodbye.

Daniel gave a parting wave, "See you then, Tina!"

 

* * *

 

 

Mr. Graves sidled up next to Tina at Daniel's departure. "An..  _unusual_  one, isn't he? Or, at least, his occupational background is, anyway," Mr. Graves said in way of greeting.

Tina canted her head, "Well.. I suppose you could see it that way, if you wanted to. I think he's nice."

Mr. Graves looked desperately as though he was trying not to roll his eyes, "Yes, well, perhaps you think everyone is nice."

Tina paused, "That's not necessarily true. Daniel certainly didn't think  _you_  were all that nice, after all. At meeting you for the first time, I didn't either."

Before Mr. Graves could comment on a form of insubordination or out of turn speech to a superior, though he'd likely mean nothing by it, he caught what Tina said before then. "Wait, Mr. Walsh didn't think I was nice?"

"Well, sir, you do strike an imposing figure," Tina pointed out.

Mr. Graves did roll his eyes this time, readying to turn on his heel, "Just get back to work, Miss Goldstein. Although, out of curiosity's sake, would one of the two friends who is joining you for dinner this evening be a certain Newton Scamander?"

Tina chose her next words carefully, "Perhaps. That wouldn't be a problem, would it?"

Mr. Graves shrugged, giving an air of nonchalance as he answered, "Depends. If he went through proper customs and left a certain suitcase back home, it's none of my concern."

Tina cast a glance at her superior, "Well, he'd be happy to hear you're doing well, anyway."

She thought she noticed a slight upturn of Mr. Graves lips, but couldn't be sure.

With no further dawdling, they both returned to their jobs until the evening.

 

* * *

 

Daniel's flat was wedged between a quaint bakery and series of other flats, looking for all the world as a dainty little place. When he opened the door, however, he discovered an array of extension charms that exceeded the probable amount of space the flat should have realistically taken up.

The first thing he noticed upon entering the flat was a bouquet of delicate white lilies on the dining room table, just off to his left. He waltzed up to the deep red wood, picking up a note accompanying the flowers.

 

  _Please note the wards activated upon your arrival. They are opened by you and you alone. Extension charms have been place throughout the space, as you may have noticed._

_I hope these accommodations serve you well._

_Contact me with any further questions about your residency._

_\- S. P._

 

Daniel regarded both the note and the flowers, before the former swept up and lit on fire before crumbling to ash. Daniel shook his head, though he supposed that was also a sort of protocol.

He retrieved his wand from his pocket and murmured, " _Scourgify_ ," to clean the ash from the dark red carpet.

His gaze swept around to the sitting room where a delicately polished redwood coffee table sat in the center, surrounded by a plush couch and two comfortable looking armchairs. Matching pillows were scattered on the furniture, along with what appeared to be a rather detailed quilt of Ilvermorny's crest.

He held back a snort. Hogwarts was the best school of wizardry, not Ilvermorny.

While he briefly considered transfiguring the crest from Ilvermorny's creatures to Hogwarts' animals, Daniel decided to view the rest of the rooms.

Next to the dining table was the kitchen, liberally spaced and cabinets stocked with perishables. The stove polished to a shine and next to it set a glimmering teapot. 

Daniel pondered over tea, before deciding he'd have a look down the hall and return for tea.

He walked on the red carpet, further down, a few portraits catching his eye as he went.

To his right, he noted a lovely mermaid painting. The mermaid in question was braiding seaweed into her long hair, her long tail swaying rhythmically to and fro. She glanced up long enough to see that a figure was standing in the hallway before returning to her task.

The next painting was near the first door of a group of nifflers, piled on top of each other, each with a glimmering gold coin in its paws. Daniel couldn't hold back the smile that spread over his features; he'd always loved nifflers.

He opened the door next to the painting, seeing an impressively sized bathroom complete with fresh towels and other toiletries.

Similarly to the mermaid portrait, enchanted wall tiles adorned the room that showed mermaids and kelpies swimming about.

He closed the door, lest he get lost watching the playful chase of a kelpie and mermaid.

The door further down was next viewed by Daniel. Upon the click of the brass doorknob, Daniel saw a very comfortable looking sizeable bed with dark sheets. There was a deep brown nightstand next to it, along with a shelf of books to the left. The carpet under his polished shoes was here a dark brown, the walls a soft caramel that would likely appear golden when the sun caught it.

Possibly most regretfully, Daniel closed the door after leaving his belongings inside. He placed an outfit he had chosen to wear for tonight's dinner in the bathroom, though it would be quite some time before then as it was nearing lunchtime now.

He continued the rest of the way to a set of pristine double doors. Once opened, his eyes widened as he drank in the view of many books. In fact, the room appeared as something of a library and office, holding a redwood desk with fresh parchment and quill. Another couch was found just a ways off from the desk, along with a smattering of pillows to rest upon for reading.

A cursory glance of the shelves informed Daniel that the books, while well-organized, were over a variety of topics from flubberworms to mimbulus mimbletonia to dark wizards of the century to Quidditch. A devoted section was, not to Daniel's surprise, to dark wizards and witches and curses cast upon many innocent victims.

He would have picked up a tome had his stomach not chosen that exact time to grumble.

He supposed lunch was in order and begrudgingly closed the library doors, noting an interesting read about  _Curses & their Causes: After Effects by an Edwin North_, not a particular book he recalled reading, but certainly the subject he knew well.

His arm chose that exact moment to tinge painfully and he almost wished he could take that tome with him to lunch.

Daniel nearly slapped himself with indignation when he realized he could use a cloaking charm to allow muggles to see something completely different.

He huffed in irritation, casting a hushed but firm, " _Accio_!" to allow the book to fly into his hands.

Straightening up his suit jacket and deciding, though it be early February, that a coat would be beneficial due to the chilly weather. He summoned just that from his belongings, a simple chestnut colored coat that had an insurmountable number of warming charms.

Placing the garment on his person, Daniel winced once more when his arm ached. He wondered briefly if he should get checked out by a mediwitch or Healer before deciding firmly against it.

He had only been out for a few months and now that he was back, he wasn't going to receive too many pitying looks from witches and wizards, even if they were only trying to help.

He swallowed the bitterness at remembering when such looks were directed at him. Daniel swore then, that after his leave was over, he would wholly devote himself to studying curses and curse breaking more fervently than ever.

That was the entire reason he had agreed to the Minister's proposal on this assignment. He wished he could say it was for a more selfless reason, like bringing down Grindelwald once and for all, but deep down he knew it was only selfish; Daniel was only ever chasing after a fix, a distraction, to ignore the pitied looks and hushed sympathies from his fellow wizards and witches.

He'd always hated confrontation.

Daniel shook himself from his thoughts, wondering for a moment if the tome he chose was a proper one to bring, before casting such worries aside. He had always been able to separate work from personal matters. That was what made him such a good Auror.

_But a dreadful friend,_  he mused darkly.

Daniel cast a cloaking charm on the book before stepping out of his flat, checking to make sure the wards were secure.

He walked then, book in hand, to the bakery shop next door. He figured after the bitterness from the morning, he could do with something sweet.

 

* * *

 

Lunchtime found Daniel sat at the  _Riley's and Dicker's Bakery_ , a simple scene, but the sweets were certainly divine.

Daniel had ordered a slice of cherry pie with coffee, two sugars and creamer.

The pie was very tart, yet still sweet and baked to near perfection.

As Daniel ate and sipped his coffee, he became engrossed in the writing of Mr. Edwin North. The man knew his stuff, that was for sure.

Where Daniel would often have to correct junior Aurors on slicing curses and the amount of blood loss, Mr. North had provided such information correctly. He even wrote about the curse that recently developed, but many had suffered from:  _dividere fulgur_. This particular curse acted much in the same way as  _sectumsempra_ , in that the goal is to maim the victim. Though with  _dividere fulgur_ , the attacker aims to divide the flesh into lightning, into fraying parts that damage nerves and tissue and muscle.

Daniel hadn't realized his grip on the coffee mug had been so tight until the kind waitress who served him tapped the table, concerned eyes on his as she asked, "You okay, hun?"

He nodded, loosening his grip and taking a shaking breath.

_Dividere fulgur._

He took another breath.

Closed his eyes for a moment and imagined his home, dusty bookshelves and creaky staircases, and humming from the kitchen.

While such a procured image calmed his racing heart, Daniel felt a rather agonizing tear in his chest at the idea of his home and how he's now many, many miles from it.

He stared out the window, out at the people walking together, some alone. He watched some laugh, others sneer. He took solace in the world continuing around him; though tragedy has struck him, and struck many, there are those that go on and keep living. If nothing else, they do this because the world keeps going, too.

After a few more minutes, Daniel's heart rate was steady and his breathing evened. He pulled out the proper muggle money, tipping the waitress more than he knew was necessary because there wasn't pity in her eyes.

Daniel rose, wrapping the rest of his pie in a small box to take home and closing the book.

It wasn't the book's fault that he couldn't face his demons, anyway.

He caught the eye of the waitress and gave a brief smile before leaving the bakery, the bell of the door ringing as if saying a quiet goodbye.

 

* * *

 

When Daniel returned to the flat, he found a rather exhausted looking pigeon at a window just above the dining table. He opened it, allowing the pigeon to hop inside and lift its leg out to unload the parchment tied there.

As Daniel rushed to untie the letter, he softly told the bird, "Just a moment, should have pellets here somewhere..."

He cast a quick  _accio_  and to his relief, found a box of pigeon pellets. He took a few from the container and let the pigeon eat them, reading the now enlarged and unfurled note:

 

_Daniel,_

_Dinner is at 6:00 at our place,_

_679 West 24th St, NY_

_Our floo will open at that time should you prefer to travel by that._

_Hopefully our friends will arrive soon after you._

_If you Apparate, do so in the alley beside the building. Our landlady isn't enthusiastic about men on the premises so we'll need to escort you inside._

_We'll wait for your reply which you can send back with Beatrice._

_\- Tina._

_P.S: Don't feed her, she's spoiled enough as it is._

 

Daniel read over the note once, grinning as he saw the post-script. He transfigured the dining table into a desk, gently pushing the flowers to the far right corner and sending the container of pellets away before Beatrice could eat any more.

He summoned parchment and the quill from the library and dipped the glossy brown feather in ink before he wrote his reply:

 

_Tina,_

_Travelling by floo is fine. I'll be there for dinner, not a minute later, I can assure you._

_I look forward to meeting your sister and your friends._

_P. S: Too late. She seems like a nice bird, though._

_\- Daniel._

 

Daniel rolled the parchment up, casting a shrinking spell on it before tying the reply to Beatrice's outstretched leg.

He glanced at the sitting room and noted that there was, indeed, a fireplace in it and a small bucket of floo powder, though he didn't doubt wards were placed on it as well.

Daniel turned back to the transfigured desk, only to note Beatrice's departure and a soft coo she left.

He capped the ink bottle and straightened the parchment on the desk, checking the flowers to see if they needed more water.

He closed the window and leaned back in the chair. He cast _tempus_ to tell the time, the glowing numbers reading _1:42 PM_.

Daniel picked up the abandoned book of  _Curses & their Causes: After Effects_, moving to settle down in a comfy armchair in the sitting room to pick up where he'd left off.

Here he felt the detachment he usually treated cases back in London, particularly harsher ones. It was similar to Occlumency, for him; Daniel could at once be in control and find a means to close out everything else, every other distraction, feeling, and thought that didn't pertain to the task at hand. He had become incredibly skilled at laser focusing on one particular thing when necessary, or maybe he had always been skilled with it.

He would often find himself obsessing over a particular subject, such as mermaids and their culture when he was a boy. How fascinated he was by their existence, their language of Mermish and customs, gentle nature where everyone else saw a mystery or a monster. 

For as daunting as it was, Daniel found an odd sort of comfort in curses and dealing with them. He believed, in his profession and experience, that one could learn an excessive amount from pain and trauma. Only when he was on the receiving end of such a notion did he concede his thoughts before the event shrouded in a blanket of naiveté and ignorance; he had spouted so much about the nature of pain and knowledge from it, but in regard to curses, had only ever theorized about such pain and not lived it and therefore couldn't sustain a proper perception of its damage.

Not for the first time he wished he was a better person.

In another life, perhaps he could have been a poet or a writer, retiring to the country when he was older and musing about the books he'd published.

Instead he curled up in an armchair, reading another book about the very thing he was praised for yet burdened with: understanding the nature of curses.

It's not that others didn't, of course. Others did, naturally, understand the fundamental carnal and almost feral nature of curses to agonize the victim, but Daniel seemed born to deal with that viciousness. Even his wand, with unicorn tail hair, was equipped with resisting dark magic and healing. Unlike a core like wampus hair, unicorn hair wasn't exemplary at combative magic, but was rather a fierce protector when necessary.

Daniel often liked to think his wand had the same insatiable curiosity as him at times. And that was the root of it, really: Daniel was always hungry for the material curses provided, and magic of all kinds. He was never fulfilled with any number of why's or how's or who's. He became determined to understand a subject he vehemently cared about until it became a part of him, much like his love of mermaids, art, or reading.

Once fixated on a given topic, Daniel could be relentless in his endeavors to explore it, to study it, to understand it. Such a powerful and passionate need was one of the more baser needs of humanity, he believed, and a part of himself. He thought of his old Ravenclaw scarf, once worn holes through, but Daniel bet it had been sewn up perfectly back home, and how his House symbolized the traits to which he followed and valued ten years after schooling.

He would never stop asking questions, he knew. He'd never stop being curious of the world around him and everyone, everything, in it. That's what ultimately made him Head Boy, a Prefect, a Ravenclaw, an Auror, a curse breaker.

Daniel just wished, sometimes, in the darker moments, that the topic he's simultaneously armed himself with over the knowledge of and determined to understand wholly could have been something else.


End file.
